Read Online Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel - Free Book Online Page A

even more like a monster, and I wouldn’t have been able to stand it if Mom had thought the same about me.
    Mom tapped the side of her mug rhythmically and looked up at me. She didn’t look angry, just thoughtful, and I exhaled in relief. “Darlena, I think I understand a little bit of this. Red magic has something to do with death and disaster, right?” I nodded, thinking of the stack of newspapers under my bed and the visit from Pele. Mom kept talking, not noticing how pale I suddenly was. “And the car accident today was supposed to happen. Two people were supposed to die, but the accident would have also served as a catalyst to more deaths down the road, right?” I nodded again. Mom drew a deep breath before continuing. “So. So you are a Red Witch, and you changed death today.” I started to interrupt, but Mom plowed over me. “Two people still died today, but the man who would have killed others later on was one of the two. You balanced chaos.”
    I stared at her, not sure I understood. Mom reached across the table and took my hands in hers.
    “Darlena, this is a good thing. You saved lives today!” Her voice rang with pride.
    I pulled my hands away. “But two people are still dead because of me! Nothing can change that.”
    Mom looked at me sternly. “Hecate said even more were meant to die. You changed that, Darlena. It’s a tragedy, don’t get me wrong. But you made the tragedy smaller.”
    We stared at each other for a minute, letting it sink in. I tried to wrap my mind around the idea that I’d done something good through doing harm, but it went against everything I’d ever been taught. Good was good, bad was bad, and harm was always bad, right?
    An idea occurred to me. “Do you think that’s what a Red Witch does? Controls chaos?”
    Mom nodded thoughtfully. “But clearly Hecate doesn’t want you to limit chaos. When you flew off the handle at her, she said that she wasn’t worried anymore, right?”
    I nodded, ashamed that I had let my temper get the better of me. “So I have to control my temper, because somehow Red magic is affected by my moods. Great. I’m sixteen, and the fate of the world rests on me keeping a cool head.” I sat back in the chair, sulking. Mom squeezed my hand.
    “Not the whole world. There must be other Reds.”

 
    I stayed in the kitchen with Mom that afternoon. She was preparing some food to take to a potluck that night, and she said she needed my magical touch. I knew that was a lie; I’m not much of a Kitchen Witch, and Mom has certainly had years of experience making amazing food, but I let her lie to me. I wanted to be close to her, too, after the shock of the morning.
    Mom had the kitchen window flung open and the crisp air was wafting over us. I laughed when she said she wanted to make apple pie.
    “How TV family is that?”
    She chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting things to be perfect for an afternoon, is there?”
    I took down the flour tin and tossed some on the counter. “I guess not,” I said, patting the flour down and tracing shapes in it, like I did when I was little. Mom came up beside me and laughed when she saw what I was doing.
    “I think you learned your first spell in this kitchen with me, playing with flour. Do you remember?”
    Instead of answering, I smoothed the flour and began deliberately drawing symbols. Mom squeezed my shoulder.
    “That’s the one. The spell to make sure the food you cook won’t burn. You did that so naturally the first time, I only had to show you once! And you were such a little thing. I was sure—”
    She broke off as a shadow crossed her face.
    “What?” I asked, even though her expression begged me to stay quiet. She turned to the sink and began washing the apples.
    “Oh, it’s nothing.” She wouldn’t look at me.
    Now I really wanted to know. “Mom. Please tell me what you thought when I did that spell.”
    Her shoulders slumped, and she kept her back to me when she whispered, “I